In July, euroMind team in Seville welcomed a group from Zespół Szkół Drzewnych i Ochrony Środowiska in Zwierzyniec. They came to Spain for a four-week internship. Thirty-two students worked in different sectors: Geodesy, IT and Laboratory.

Three different sectors with their own characteristic. The curious interns of the geodesy sector have learned how to planning the stages of a topographic project, creating topographic bases, calculating the different types of coordinates, importing data from EXCEL into AutoCAD, getting to know different instruments used to create a Digital Terrain Model and how to designing local topographic networks. It was a very intense time for them, working every day in Maria Luisa’s park.

The second group of computer geniuses has learned, in practice, how to repair IT equipment, install and operate a local computer network, administrate a server of operating systems, use a database design and how to programme web applications. The program was very ambitious but our computer interns, without any problem, mastered the science.

But speaking of science, our last group has presented the skills and wisdom of the highest level. Five brave interns have worked in the lab, discovering chemical techniques: removing residues, sterilizing and performing maintenance work on machinery and laboratory equipment, saving and analyzing the results of research and experiments, identifying and analyzing gases and sewage polluting the environment, assisting in physicochemical research of sewage: pH, conductivity, suspended particles and fats and others, etc.

Apart from their practices, they also had a possibility to travel around Andalusia region; their first trip was to Matalascañas Beach which is located in the South of Spain on the Costa de la Luz in Huelva. The marvelous white sand beach belongs to the Doñana nature reserve, an important nature area that can be accessed from here on foot. Doñana National Park is also very famous for one of the largest sand dunes in Europe. Part of this beach is in an urban area, with a pedestrianised seafront promenade, so there are a wide range of hotels and restaurants nearby. The trainees were able to relax, go for a walk, sunbathe and enjoy the summer spirit of this place. They also visited Cádiz located in southwestern Spain and considered the oldest city in Europe founded in 1100 BC. It is a typical Andalusian pueblo blanco (white town) with many attractive sights and well-preserved historical landmarks. It is located by the ocean, and was the starting point for Colombus expedition for the discovery of the Americas. During the trip, the group visited the city centre which is surrounded by old buildings and many cafes and bars, the baroque style Cathedral, the oldest fish market in Spain, The Tavira watchtower and the plaza de España – the first Spanish democratic constitution was signed. Finally, the group were able to relax on Caleta beach for the rest of the day. They also visited Tavira in Portugal: a charming, traditional and historic town on the eastern side of Algarve, Portugal. The village is situated on the banks of the Gilao River and is close to the stunning beaches of the Ilha de Tavira. The town, proclaimed to be a slow city, is rightly regarded as the most picturesque one in the region of the Algarve. The group visited the centre of Tavira which is filled with numerous churches, historic monuments and traditional buildings, such as the ancient Ponte Romana Bridge and the Praça da Republica square. Further up the hill, the group reached the castle, the ancient Santa Maria church and the colourful Convento da Graça. The last stop on the trip was the Ilha de Tavira which is an island accessible to the town by ferry where group got to enjoy the beautiful beach which stretches over 12km.

The group was very brave. It was the first group received by euromind after the pandemic. The trainees respected every rule that the government of Spain gave us to protect our health and prevent infection. Apart from developing their skills and deepening their knowledge of the IT, Geodesy and Laboratory sectors, the interns  learned also about Spanish culture, traditions, and customs.